National Weather Service to hold spotter trainings

Ever dream of turning your love of meteorological events into more than just a hobby? Now is your chance to become a severe weather spotter for the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service will be holding a SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotter Training in Rochester on March 18. The two-hour class will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Rochester International Event Center.

“Accurate and timely reports of severe weather, by trained individuals, not only helps our office, but can save lives in the local community. We always need more eyes to the sky,” Todd Shea, a warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service in La Crosse, Wis., said in a statement.

There will also be training events in Kasson and Winona on April 2 and 3, respectively.

The trainings are intended for storm spotters or potential storm spotters, but are open to the public and free of charge.

The weather service relies heavily on storm reports from spotters, and these reports can prompt warnings that save lives — a proven fact we’ve seen many times in our region, according to the weather service.